Service Challenge
The Service Challenge is a recurring challenge in Hell's Kitchen. Overview In some cases, Ramsay would open Hell's Kitchen for a service other than dinner, breakfast and lunch mainly, and have both teams compete against each other to serve their dishes out. The team that would serve all their tickets out first would be declared the winner. The main purpose of this challenge is to test the chefs' communication and teamwork skills, hoping the momentum would be kept during dinner services. History Season 2 Episode 4 marked the first time this challenge happened, when there were 8 chefs remaining, with 4 on each team. Known as the Lunch Service Challenge, both teams had to serve a dining room full of children, with typical lunch items, including burgers, pizza, pasta, and French fries. After the service, Ramsay revealed he asked every child to rate the food on a 1-10 scale. In the end, the blue team won with a score of 9.85 out of 10, compared to the red team's 9.84. The blue team was rewarded with a day to an amusement park in Santa Monica Beach, while the red team had to clean the dining room. Season 3 Episode 3 had the challenge when there were 10 chefs remaining, with 5 chefs on each team. Known as the Army and Navy Service Challenge, Ramsay had both teams serve breakfast to the Army and Navy. The blue team served the Navy while the red team served the Army. Thanks to Julia's leadership, the red team finished their service way before the blue team did, and Ramsay sent Julia over to help the men complete service. The red team went on a helicopter ride and had lunch with Ramsay on the USS Midway while the blue team was forced to do KP duty, which included prepping a thousand pounds of potatoes and onions. Season 5 Episode 4 had the challenge when there were 13 chefs remaining, with 7 on the red team and 6 on the blue team. Known as the Football Team & Cheerleaders Breakfast Service Challenge, Ramsay had both teams serve breakfast to the Pacific youth football league and cheer team. The blue team served the football team while the red team served the cheer team. While the blue team had a good lead, Seth's scrambled egg shortage slowed them down, allowing the red team to catch up and win the challenge. The red team went to Beverly Wilshire Hotel for a camping experience while the blue team had to clean up the dining room, both kitchens, and prep them for that night’s service. Season 6 Episode 3 also had the challenge when there were 13 chefs remaining, with 7 on the red team and 6 on the blue team. Known as the Firefighter Service Challenge, both teams had to serve a pasta lunch to the firefighters that included Chicken Alfredo, Meatball Marinara, and a garlic bread appetizer. In a close finish, the red team got their last ticket out and won the challenge. The red team rode a helicopter to the Pacific Waters Spa while the blue team had to clean the firefighters' engines and clean the dining area. Season 7 Episode 3 also had the challenge when there were 13 chefs remaining, with 7 on the red team and 6 on the blue team. Known as the Marching Band Lunch Service Challenge, both teams had to serve lunch to the marching band of the University of Southern California. In a close finish, the red team got their last ticket out and won the challenge. The red team rode in vintage cars to the Malibu Beach Inn, and played soccer with Ramsay and his family while the blue team had to clean a section of the Los Angeles River to help the Heal the Bay organization, while wearing yellow jumpsuits. Season 8 Episode 3 had the challenge when there were 13 chefs remaining, with 7 on the blue team and 6 on the red team. Known as the Paramedic Service Challenge, both teams had to serve breakfast to a dining room of paramedics. The red team finished way before the blue team could serve their first ticket due to the men showcasing poor teamwork, and Ramsay had the red team help the blue team. The red team visited Santa Monica's Viceroy Hotel to attend trapeze school and had lunch with Ramsay while the blue team had to clean both of the kitchens and polish the stemware. Season 9 Episode 3 had the challenge when there were 15 chefs remaining, with 8 on the red team, and 7 on the blue team. Known as the Mommy & Me Lunch Service Challenge, both teams had to serve lunch to mothers and their children, with the menu consisting of pasta and chicken quesadilla for the children, and a Panini sandwich with naan bread for the mothers. Additionally, both teams had to serve the children first before the mothers. Thanks Natalie's leadership, the blue team were able to complete their tickets before the red team could, and they won the challenge. The blue team was rewarded with a day and lunch at Medieval Times, as well receiving sword fighting lessons, while the red team was forced to clean up the dining room, prepping both kitchens for the Family Night dinner service, and set up a playground for the children. Season 10 Episode 3 had the challenge when there were 16 chefs remaining, with 9 on the red team and 7 on blue team. Known as the Immigrant Service Challenge, both teams had to serve an All-American lunch to 60 immigrants who became U.S. citizens, with the menu consisting of a California cobb salad appetizer, Nebraska beef sliders, thin New York style pizza and Wisconsin grilled cheese sandwich. The red team won the challenge and had to help the blue team, who were three tables behind. The red team went on a safari trip in San Diego, while the blue team did hard labor at the Ballona Wetlands. Season 11 Episode 4 had the challenge when there were 17 chefs remaining, with 9 on the red team and 8 on the blue team. Known as the HK3K Service Challenge, both teams had to serve lunch to a dining room of marathon runners for childhood obesity awareness. In addition, Ramsay had Dan from the blue team and Mary from the red team join the marathon runners in the race and both teams could not serve their dishes until their teammate came back. Despite the blue team having a strong head start after Dan came back, they struggled on their last few tickets. That allowed the red team to catch up quickly and win the challenge. The red team flew in a private jet to Temecula Valley's Wine Country for wine tasting and making, while the blue team had to clean up the HK3K course and prep both kitchens for their next dinner service. Season 13 Episode 4 had the challenge when there were 15 chefs remaining, with 8 on the blue team and 7 on the red team. Known as the Brunch Service Challenge, both teams had to serve brunch to a dining room of culinary student graduates. After a close knitted service, the red team managed to serve their final ticket first and win the challenge. The red team flew to San Francisco and ate at Chef Dominique Cren’s restaurant, Alteller Cren, while the blue team had to grind chorizo sausages for the next service. Season 14 Episode 6 had the challenge when there were 13 chefs remaining, with 7 on the blue team and 6 on the red team. Known as the Firefighter Service Challenge, both teams had to serve lunch to a dining room of firefighters that were in the middle of a charity run. Despite both teams struggling on the chicken sandwiches, the blue team managed to bounce back quicker, and they won the challenge. The blue team went on a tour at the Malibu vineyard which included a safari tour, and dinner, while the red team had to detail the fire engines outside the front entrance, and prep 400 chicken wings for the following service. Season 18 Episode 3 had the challenge when there were 15 chefs remaining, with 8 on the veterans team and 7 on the rookies team. Known as the Marines Service Challenge, both teams had to serve lunch to a dining room of marines with the dishes representing the air (chicken parmesan), land (New York steak), and sea (fish & chips). After a close knitted service, the rookies managed to serve their final ticket first and win the challenge. The rookies were rewarded with a trip to Paramount Ranch, and got to star in their own Western film, while the veterans were punished by prepping squid for that night's service. However, Bret used his punishment pass to join the rookies. Trivia *The red team has won this challenge the most in 9 seasons. *Since Season 2, this challenge was not used in Seasons 4, 12, 15, 16, and 17. Category:Challenges